Information for Companies & Organisations

There has been a traumatic incident – what can ASSIST offer?

ASSIST Trauma Care is a specialist Third Sector Organisation working with individuals and families affected by psychological trauma. A traumatic occurrence can take many forms – an attack, a transport incident, a fire, a bomb, war, a tsunami. What all these and many other traumatic incidents have in common is the enormous impact they have on the life of an individual or group of individuals and the overwhelming emotion generated.

Such an incident is likely to impact every part of a person’s life, including their working life, with inevitable financial implications for both the individual and their employer.

ASSIST therapists have been trained to use evidence-based models to help sufferers rebuild their lives and move on following a traumatic experience that has impacted on their lives. Treatment duration is normally 8-12 weeks, unless there has been a bereavement involved in the trauma, in which case the course of treatment is likely to be longer. It is recommended that treatment is not started until 4-6 weeks after an incident, to allow for natural recovery processes. However ASSIST can provide support and information during these early weeks, which can be helpful in enabling a sufferer to better understand what they are going through and the natural recovery process. Support for families is also available.

If an employee has been affected by a traumatic incident that has occurred outside the workplace but is nonetheless impacting their ability to carry out their job, ASSIST is able to provide specialist help to reduce symptoms and help an employee put the incident behind them

When a traumatic incident has occurred at a place of work or has affected several employees ASSIST therapists are available to visit the organisation and spend time with either individuals or a group to help them understand better the reactions they may be suffering.

We then keep in touch, employing a process called ‘watchful waiting’ for 4-6 weeks after the incident, and are available to provide therapy to any individuals who do not recover naturally from what they have experienced.